Second best – The Argentina star then moved past the Brazil legend with his second goal of the match against Mallorca, which left Messi nine short of the best tally for a year held by Germany's Gerd Muller.

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Photos:Messi moves past Pele milestone

Proud dad – The 25-year-old has had a new celebration since the birth of his first child, son Thiago, earlier this month.

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Photos:Messi moves past Pele milestone

Award winner – Messi is in line to win a fourth successive world player of the year award in January. Pele presented him with the Ballon d'Or at the start of this year.

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Photos:Messi moves past Pele milestone

Golden boot – Pele scored 75 goals in 1958, when he launched onto the football scene as a 17-year-old and helped Brazil win that year's World Cup.

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Photos:Messi moves past Pele milestone

Goal machine Gerd – That feat was surpassed in 1972 by Muller, who scored 85 goals as West Germany won the European Championship and his club Bayern Munich lifted the Bundesliga title.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Photos:The Real Ronaldo

007 and CR7 – Daniel Craig and Cristiano Ronaldo have both been outspoken in their desire to reclaim a right to privacy. Both men have become frustrated with their treatment in public.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

In the public eye – Cristiano Ronaldo and his model girlfriend Irina Shayk enjoy some peace and quiet together but the camera lens is never far away from the pair.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Shayk it up – Shayk is a celebrity in her own right having established herself as a leading model. The Russian's romance with Ronaldo has taken her fame to new heights.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Ronaldo's relationship – "We are just partners," Ronaldo told CNN when asked about his relationship with Shayk. "We have a good relationship, we are almost three years together, I love to be with her, I love her. It's great."

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Wedding bells? – Ronaldo has yet to pop the question to Russian model Shayk but he admits he has thought about marriage. He said: "Not now, but of course in the future, yes. Everyone wants that. I still haven't done that. I don't have the courage."

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Champions League quest – "In Real Madrid we are always under pressure," Cristiano Ronaldo told CNN. "This is maybe the best club in the world... so we have a lot of pressure and we know that the fans, the Madrid city... everyone wants 'La Decima' (a 10th European Cup). "

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Perfect coach – Ronaldo has nothing but praise for Real coach Jose Mourinho: "Well, my relationship with him is perfect. I don't ask for nothing better. In terms of coaching I'm sure 100%... 200% that he is the best. He shows every country who's the best because he wins all the leagues."

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Head-to-Head – Ronaldo will be up against Barcelona's Lionel Messi for the Ballon d'Or with the Argentine having won the prize on each of the past three occasions. Both men were on target twice during the last El Clasico match which finished 2-2 at the Camp Nou.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Winning mentality – Ronaldo has scored 160 goals in 164 appearances for Real Madrid since his move from Manchester United in 2009. His determination to win is always evident, even when it comes to beating his girlfriend at swimming in their own pool. He said: "Sometimes you have to give her an opportunity to be happy, but I win because I don't like to lose."

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Golden boy – Ronaldo last won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 after helping lead Manchester United to the Champions League crown with victory over Chelsea in Moscow. In the 2007-8 season, he scored 42 goals as United also won the English Premier League title.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

International stage – While Ronaldo has enjoyed great club success with Manchester United and Real Madrid, he has yet to win a major tournament with Portugal. "I'm not saying Portugal doesn't have the capacity to win the World Cup or Euro, but its more tough... its difficult, because you don't have 100 players to choose," sai the Portuguese star.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Talk to me – Ronaldo insists he'd relish the opportunity to talk to his critics and listen to their opinions on why they believe he is arrogant. He told CNN: "People who call me arrogant, I'm interested, not with all of them, but most of them. One day I would like to sit with them and have a chat to see in which way they think I'm arrogant."

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Second career – When he finishes his football career, Ronaldo wants to become an actor.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Arrogant jibes hurt – Ronaldo tells CNN's Pedro Pinto in an exclusive interview that he believes his perceived 'arrogance' has made him less popular than his chief rival Lionel Messi. "You know, sometimes I'm a victim of that because they don't know the real Cristiano," said the Real Madrid forward.

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Photos:The Real Ronaldo

Life in the fast lane – Cars are one of Ronaldo's great passions. In 2009, while at Manchester United, Ronaldo was lucky to esacpe injury after crashing his Ferrari.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

Photos:Sculpting football icons

Fellow Scots – Like Alex Ferguson, sculptor Philip Jackson was born in Scotland. Here he is pictured working on The Bomber Command Memorial Sculpture, which is situated in London's Green Park, and was unveiled by the Queen in June.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

England legend Moore – Jackson was also the artist who created the statue of former England captain Bobby Moore, which is located at Wembley Stadium. The statue, standing six meters in height and weighing approximately two tons, commemorates when Moore captained England to World Cup glory in 1966.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

Man Utd's "Holy Trinity" – The Alex Ferguson sculpture is the third Manchester United piece Jackson has produced. His statue of George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, which stands outside Old Trafford, depicts three of the club's greatest players.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

Busby in bronze – Jackson's first Manchester United related sculpture depicted former manager Matt Busby, who was a key figure in creating the club's attacking philosophy of football which Ferguson has helped maintain.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

Ferguson artwork – Jackson's bronze scultpture of Ferguson is nine foot in height. It will be unveiled ahead of United's home game against Queens Park Rangers on November 23.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

Bobby Robson remembered – A number of other English clubs have commissioned artworks to remember former managers, notably Bobby Robson, who managed a number of clubs including Ipswich Town, Barcelona and Newcastle United as well as England. This statue of Robson is outside Newcastle United's St James' Park.

Linesman cast – It is not just managers and players who have been immortalized in sculpture form. In Baku, Azerbaijan, there is a statue of the 1966 World Cup final linesman Tofig Bahramov outside the Tofig Bahramov stadium. Here former West Germany goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski and former England striker Sir Geoff Hurst are pictured standing next to the the Bahramov statue in June 2011.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

Zizou's bronze butt – The moment French football superstar Zinedine Zidane headbutted Italy's Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final has been immortalized in a five meter bronze statue. The statue, positioned outside of Paris' Pompidou Museum, is the work of Algerian-born artist Adel Abdessemed.

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Photos:Sculpting football icons

Tribute to singer Jackson – More unusually in April 2011, Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed unveiled a statue in tribute to singer Michael Jackson, who died in 2009, outside the English Premier League club's Craven Cottage ground.

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After eclipsing the achievement of Brazil legend Pele, who scored 75 goals from 53 matches in 1958, Messi moved up a gear in the Russian capital.

With Barcelona already leading through Dani Alves' 16th minute effort, the diminutive striker fired home following a mix-up in the Sparktak defense.

On the synthetic playing surface, Barcelona's tiki-taka football proved too much for the home side to cope with.

And with just six minutes of the first period remaining, Messi grabbed his second of the evening with a neat finish after eluding the Spartak defense.

"Everyone talks about Leo, the goals and the records but it is more his awareness and tactics," Vilanova told reporters.

"The way he defends and attacks and helps the team in all areas.

"The team showed how great they are as this was a difficult game in the cold on an artificial pitch although some of them have played on it before, and they played an excellent match.

"It was important for us not to have to qualify in the final game which will not be easy against Benfica."

Chelsea could become the first defending champion to be knocked out in the Group Stage after it lost 3-0 to Juventus in Turin.

The defeat is Chelsea's heaviest in the competition since they were beaten 5-1 by Barcelona 12 years ago.

Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Spanish duopoly – Barcelona's Lionel Messi (left) and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (right) -- widely considered the two best players in the world -- shake hands before the 'El Classico' derby between Spain's two biggest clubs. But is the huge wealth of Barca and Real damaging the rest of Spanish football?

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Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Revenue dwarfs rivals – Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho (left) and Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova (right) shake hands at the derby between the two clubs. Real's revenue is $695 million, $42 million more than Barca and $526 million more than that of Valencia.

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Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Talent at a price – Barcelona's Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo were all nominated for the prestigious Balon d'Or award this year. The last time the Barca-Real league monopoly was broken was in 2004 when Rafael Benitez's Valencia won La Liga.

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Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Will Falcao stay at Atletico? – Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao is arguably the best striker in the world, but the Colombian is likely to be sold at the end of the season.

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Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Oviedo fans show support – Real Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo". The third-tier club's financial problems are so great that they have turned to their fans for help, offering them the right to buy shares in Oviedo.

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Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Fund raising – The Real Oviedo team huddle on the pitch before taking on Real Madrid's reserve team in Asturias. Oviedo need to raise $2.4 million to save the club.

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Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Fans protest – Real Oviedo fans hold up banner as they march through the city on their way to the league match to protest against the possible closure of the club due to financial difficulties.

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Photos:Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks

Spanish austerity – The Spanish financial crisis has led to a raft of anti-austerity measures. Protests against cuts have been seen on the streets of Madrid, where a minority of protesters have been involved in violent clashes with the police.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Photos:The career of David Beckham

The career of David Beckham – David Beckham made an immediate impact at Paris Saint-Germain, with victories in his first two appearances against French rivals Marseille.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Paris plan – He was unveiled at the Parc des Princes on the final day of the January 2013 transfer window, and announced that he will donate the pay he receives during his five-month contract to a children's charity in Paris.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Leaving LA – Beckham celebrated his second MLS Cup success with Los Angeles Galaxy in December 2012, when he decided to leave with a year left on his contract as he sought one final career challenge in Europe.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

On the rise – David Beckham made his debut for English Premier League team Manchester United in 1993. By 1996, the midfielder was becoming renowned for his ability to score and create goals with his now legendary right foot. In a match against Wimbledon, Beckham stunned football fans by scoring from the halfway line.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Red mist – Beckham swiftly progressed into the England team and was part of Glenn Hoddle's squad for the 1998 World Cup in France. In a second-round match against Argentina, Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone. England lost the match on penalties and were eliminated, with Beckham becoming a hate figure for some fans.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Treble – Beckham rebuilt his reputation and in 1999 was a key part of the Manchester United team which became the first English club to win the Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League in the same season. The Old Trafford side, led by Alex Ferguson, secured the treble thanks to a stunning late comeback against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Redemption – Beckham's redemption was complete in 2000, when caretaker England manager Peter Taylor made him captain of the national team. He retained the role under Sven-Goran Eriksson, leading England at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and the 2004 European Championships.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Beckham's Real deal – In 2003, after a turbulent final few months at United which involved Ferguson accidentally kicking a boot at Beckham, he joined Real Madrid's "Galacticos".

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Golden goodbye – But Beckham's spell in Madrid didn't produce the trophy rush he had hoped for. His sole title came in 2007, under future England manager Fabio Capello, thanks to a win against Real Mallorca on the final day of the season.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Reborn in the USA – Beckham made the switch to Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S.'s Major League Soccer in 2007. His stated aim was to raise the profile of soccer in the country.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Glory with Galaxy – Four years after heading to the States, Beckham finally won the MLS Cup with Galaxy last season. Galaxy beat Houston Dynamo 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Landon Donovan.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

Posh and Becks – Off the pitch, Beckham is famous for being one half of one of the world's most high-profile couples. He started dating Victoria Adams of British pop group Spice Girls in 1997. The pair married in 1999 and have four children, son Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz and daughter Harper Seven.

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Photos:The career of David Beckham

London lad – Football fans wear masks depicting Beckham at the London 2012 Olympics. He was not picked for the GB team, but played a big role in his hometown being awarded the Games.

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Photos:Dortmund's training pays dividends

Photos:Dortmund's training pays dividends

The final frontier? – The "Footbonaut" -- is a robotic cage which footballers can use to improve passing, spatial awareness and control. The machine is being used by German champions Borussia Dortmund.

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Photos:Dortmund's training pays dividends

A giant leap for soccer training? – Once inside the "Footbonaut", a player is fed balls by eight different machines and then has deliver the ball to one of the 72 panels - - which is indciated by a flashing green light -- that make up the space-age contraption before they receive another ball. This picture shows Dortmund's German star Mario Gotze testing himself against the machine.

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Photos:Dortmund's training pays dividends

High-klass Klopp – German coach Jurgen Klopp has overseen Dortmund's recent domination of German football. Dortmund have won the Bundesliga in each of the last two seasons, winning plaudits for the adventurous style of play. Klopp's team also currently sit top of a European Champions League group containing Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.

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Photos:Dortmund's training pays dividends

Polish power – Dortmund's rise to prominence has forced their attractive young squad into the limelight. None more so than Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier this year.

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Photos:Dortmund's training pays dividends

Borussia's best – One player who did swap Dortmund for Manchester was Shinji Kagawa. The Japanese playmaker had made a promising start to his Old Trafford career before being sidelined with a knee injury last month. Another player developed by Dortmund was Nuri Sahin, the Turkish midfielder who signed for Real Madrid in 2011 before joining Liverpool on a season-long loan deal in August.

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The Blues will go into the final round of Group E matches in third place after goals from Fabio Quagliarella, Arturo Vidal and Sebastian Giovinco sealed the win for Juventus.